This year Predator celebrates its 30th anniversary and to commemorate this many cinemas around the world have been screening special showings of Predator. One such showing, hosted by the Arkansas Cinema Society, was followed by a Q&A session with Predator’s writer Jim Thomas and producer Beau Marks.
While the Q&A mostly covers behind-the-scenes information we’ve heard before, Jim Thomas also spoke a little about their earlier ideas for Predator 2. We’ve known for sometime that Arnold Schwarzenegger had originally been approached for the sequel and ultimately declined to appear in the film. Arnold’s role was eventually rewritten to become Gary Busey’s Agent Keyes.
Answering an audience question (from Wade B Wyeth of Twitter at around 38:20) about their ideas for sequels to the original Predator, Jim divulged some extra details about how that particular Arnold driven Predator 2 would have opened:
“We had an idea where at the end [of Predator], with the burned up clearing where the explosion happens, the film [Predator 2] opens there and the Predator’s invisible feet come into view and a hand plunges down into the dust, into the ashes, and brings up the Predator’s arm and then activates the computer and get’s a readout to see everything that had happened up to that time, focusing on Arnold, and “this is my target.” We went from there and we had to think of how to bring Arnold back into it.”
Jim also mentioned a different story idea they’d had for a sequel to Predator, another cool tidbit that I don’t believe has ever been spoken about previously!
“We also had an idea about doing a World War 2 version in the Battle of the Buldge, in the middle of the winter. A German foot platoon and an American platoon separated, and had a stalemate fighting each other off when the Predator shows up. They have to join together to defeat it. We thought the snow Predator effect would be quite different.”
The idea of Predator stories set in other time periods is something that has been explored several times in the Expanded Universe (including World War 1 in Predator: The Bloody Sands of Time) and most recently in the awesome anthology book Predator: If It Bleeds (seriously, go buy it!).
It was also set-up in the finale of Predator 2 when Harrigan is handed the flintlock pistol, the backstory of which was explored in the comic Predator: 1718. Would you like to see a Predator film set in another time period?
Jim also confirmed that he and John had no involvement with Shane Black’s The Predator but he was looking forward to it. Thanks to Wade B Wyeth for getting in touch about the Q&A.
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Point well taken Hicks. My thought was that in a straight up encounter, like the camp scene from Predators, aside from the B.A.R., the weaponry would be far less effective than what Arnold's or Brody's group were carrying, except for the sword and 9mm of course. Consequently, the ww2 troops would be at a disadvantage. But traditionally, it's more human ingenuity and determination that wins the day. Although, I would still find it hard to believe the soldiers of that era could identify and understand how they were being seen and tracked by the predator. Unless footprints or noise gave it away, which I don't expect a predator to allow. It's just my personal opinion, but a scenario in that timeframe would be an absolute one-sided slaughter in the Predator's favor. Granted, I've yet to read "If it bleeds". So if someone made it work in the book, pardon my lack of this knowledge.
Well that's the thing - that minigun and that AA12 were not what ultimately defeated the Predator in those films so it's really a bit of a moot point, I think.
Wolf is a better version (visually) of a 'Classic Predator'.
I liked it too, just wish Classic Predator would have won that fight at the end.
Before we see a WWII setting, I'd like to see a film based on the comic Predator: 1718 where the Elder receives his flintlock.
I can't say the WW2 idea was worth exploring though. Having Allied troops seemingly "team up" with Nazi's would be in bad taste, and insulting to some. You'd have an entire group of characters whom the audience not only can't relate to, but they would most likely despise. Cannon fodder is necessary, but some folks just aren't likely to get along, and most likely wouldn't even under these circumstances.
Not to mention characters of that timeline would probably have a greater deal of difficulty fighting a predator. Troops in WW2 wouldn't have access to the kind of weaponry available to Dutch's group or the group from predators. The B.A.R. was a vicious tool, but it's not a portable minigun or an aa12. Along with the possibility that troops in that war may have had no clue about the concept of thermal imagery or tracking, and wouldn't be able to disguise themselves from the predator. Unless one of them fell in a snowdrift or became hypothermic to some degree, and was ignored by the predator.
The concept was pretty interesting, but it really feels castrated for money reasons to the point that people say it's a pure rehash of the first movie and let's be honest, most of the homages just don't work, like Mombasa doing a Billy. The AvP's handled those much better.
It's still a fun movie and i revisit it from time to time, but it's a prime example of the case Shane Black is making at the moment, it was quickly assembled for a buck and there was no real creativity behind it.
I thought it had some good ideas but others ideas and the execution were bad, it was like a both remake and sequel that we get now so often but more dumb, i did not liked the drones, or alien dogs, the predators looked weird, like they had a head too big, and some other stuff, the casting was good though
Also hoping that the newest film The Predator paves the way for future Predator movies just as long as quality is retained, Alien and Predator are often described as B-Movies being delivered with A-Movie treatment.
I still don't have an issue with that. They may prefer it hot but there's nothing to say they wouldn't challenge themselves a little with going to a climate outside their comfort zone. Makes perfect sense to me.
The series has been off track completely. I've said it a thousand times. You don't kill a Predator and they just ignore that particular "prey". Revenge is the most sought after desire amongst those hard wired for the hunt.
But let's pretend like Predator never happened.
The Pacific Theater fits perfectly for the Predators preferred hunting climate. The African theater probably would work as well.
I'd honestly throw money at a Predator Anthology movie (like VHS or Creepshow) with different stories from different era's featuring Predators.